A memorial gathering for Mark has been scheduled for next Thursday, May 27, from 5-8pm CT.
The gathering will be held at Donnellan Family Funeral Services located at 10045 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL 60077.
“In lieu of” information will be passed along soon.
From Dino Loiacono, Beta Sigma #819
“I am sorry to say that our friend Mark Jansen who has been courageously fighting brain cancer for quite a few years now, lost that battle today. Mark left behind two beautiful daughters Brittany and Meg, his wife Marie, his mother Sally, his sisters Cassandra and Cynthia and many other loving family members and friends. Please keep Mark and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Ever since Mark was diagnosed, I have witnessed him live his daily life to the fullest, as difficult as that often was for him. I will always be inspired by his wonderful spirit and incredible strength and courage. He still is and always will be one of my closest and dearest friends. I will miss him tremendously and am privileged and so very happy that my children got to know him and his wonderful family.
We are planning a memorial gathering for Mark for next Thursday 5/27/10, 5-8pm, at Donnellan at 10045 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL 60077-1026.”
You may contact Frater Dino at Pizeman1@aol.com
Mark, Jane and Mark Barnes
Mark Jansen, Beta Sigma #733, is hospitalized in the ICU unit of a hospital in Illinois. Mark has been courageously fighting brain cancer for quite a few years now. As much of a tough fighter as we all know our brother to be, his body is having tremendous difficulty keeping up with his incredibly strong mind and spirit. Please keep Mark in your thoughts and prayers. Two weeks ago Frater Dino Loiacono, Beta Sigma #819, spoke with him about their time together at TKE and reminisced with fond memories. Dino, his wife Dee, and brother Yale Loiacono, Beta Sigma #852, visited last night with Mark. They are happy to say he is no longer enduring the pain that was often too much for even our fearless leader to withstand. They plan to return this morning to spend some time with him and will extend well wishes to Mark and his family.
Dino encourages fraters to send well wishes via email only to Mark’s sister Cassandra cassandrajfrancis@gmail.com. Please note that at this time, Mark is unable to talk, and therefore the family requests that all correspondence is limited to e-mail. You may contact Dino at Pizeman1@aol.com.
Mark Jansen was a key leader of TKE at USC during the 1980s. He served as President, Treasurer, and general counsel to many of today’s active alumni. He started 28th Street Magaine at USC and grew the TB publishing empire that spanned all Southern California Colleges. He is and will always be one of our greatest Beta Sigma TKE’s.
Mark, we wish you the best. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
We just received this great photo taken in front of TKE West in 1958.
It was a perfect Southern California day. 72 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. After watching the Trojan Spring Practice event at the Coliseum, alumni joined the actives on the expansive front deck of TKE West for an afternoon BBQ. House Mom Matha and Cook Reggie made sure there was plenty of good food for all. The actrives made sure there was plenty of beer. More than 30 alumni attended the event, including Gilbert Hershberger – Pin # 1o, Everet Miller – Pin # 454, and Jerry Murphy – Pin # 376.
What an exciting time it is to be a Beta Sigma TKE! In addition to a new brand new TKE House, the Alumni Association has decided to relaunch the print version of the Beta Sigma TKE. In this issue of Beta Sigma TKE, read how the new TKE East House has impacted TKE and increased its presence on the row and on campus. Read more about Beta Sigma’s involvement in student government, other campus organizations, dominance in Ironman, and philanthropy. Prytanis, Marcello Dubaz, also gives an update on Chapter activities, campus leadership efforts by the chapter members, and introduces the new Chapter Officers. Plus, another addition of ‘Heard from the Bond’ where you can learn more about what your brothers have been up to since graduation.
Look for the newsletter to hit your mailbox the week of April 12th. If you have not updated your address take the time to do so now by clicking here: www.tkeusc.org/alumni/directory/
By the way, we also launched a new web site that you are looking at right now.
Ever wish you were back in College? Remember the parties and good times? Check out this video to get an idea of the scale and scope of the parties TKE USC throws. This is from the 2009 Halloween Party. The chapter also throws an equally amazing Mardi Gras party in the Spring.
With the close of Spring 2010 rush, TKE USC now has over 120 active members and pledges. This is the largest the chapter has ever been. Congratulations to the undergraduates who continue to recruit outstanding new members. Congratulations to the Spring 2010 pledge class:
Eric Blodgett
Patrick Bracha
Ian Carr
Andrew Harrison
Aditya Hirdaramani
Eric Hsu
Stephen Lowe
Kyle Manis
Stephen Medearis
Liam Sharkey
Brandon Taylor
Glen Willis
by Michael Nigosian, #1250
As a senior in TKE, I have seen many improvements to the facilities over the past four years. However the most important, as we all know is TKE East, which had been in the planning process for over a decade. Being the first fraternity on the row to build an entirely new house in the last 30 years, is quite an accomplishment. Moving into the house as one of the first residents ever to experience this magnificent structure was a unique experience. The first night we had hundreds of people stopping by just to get a tour of this house that they had seen under construction for the past year. Nobody was disappointed. From its three outdoor decks, to the large open social spaces, this house was unmistakably a well-designed structure for a fraternity.
As people continually come to visit, the first thing that they say when they walk in is, “I can’t believe you guys get to live here.” Not only does TKE East have the largest rooms on the row, but the level of sound isolation makes it possible to study in your room while the residents next door may be listening to music or watching a movie. It has been a great honor to be here to experience this new house and it is something that the underclassmen definitely look forward to.
Fraternity for Life Event Proved a Solid Start to a New TraditionAugust 13, 2010
The 1st Annual Fraternity for Life weekend activities kicked off on Friday, July 23rd with cocktails at the 901 Club. There were many alumni—recent grads as well as fraters that graduated in the early ‘60s. It was great to meet some new people and catch up with friends.
We kicked off Saturday, July 24th with a great continental breakfast followed by a tour of the row and then a tour of the TKE West and the newly constructed TKE East houses. Frater Jerrard, #339 was particularly impressed by the new house and greatly appreciated the opportunity to walk down the row and relate some stories from his time at ‘SC to some of the younger alums and actives.
Later in the afternoon, several TKE alums and their families took off to Dodger stadium to catch an afternoon game against the Mets. The weather was perfect and we couldn’t have had a better time; the company (and the beer) was great and, after 13 innings, the Dodgers pulled out the win!
Make a point next year to attend the 2nd annual Fraternity for Life event. You won’t want to miss it!